


Moonlight Becomes You

by lonelypond (Blinkkittylove)



Series: Moonlight [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Bibi - Freeform, F/F, Love Live Secret Admirer Gift, My favorite AU was the prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:50:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blinkkittylove/pseuds/lonelypond
Summary: Ayase Eli has thoroughly organized LA life, part time job, college bff, Yazawa Nico, for a housemate, auditions galore. Then one day, a strange wind blows her to a new corner of Silver Lake.





	1. Things Take A Turn

Eli Ayase, tall, blonde, quarter Russian, smarter and smoother than whoever’s standing next to you, was used to being stronger and faster and taller and hotter than everyone else. Part of why she had started hanging out with her housemate, Nico Yazawa, small, sable haired, dynamic, impossibly cute, was that Nico refused to be impressed or awed by any of it. Eli would wander into their bungalow’s kitchen and instead of drooling or dropping a dish or delivery a cheesy pickup line, Nico would just chuck a towel at Eli’s head and say, “Hey, Blondie, your turn to dry”. It was refreshing.

They’d met at Northwestern, both dance minors, and in the time honored tradition of Making It Big™, had moved out to LA together after graduation. The most serious disagreement they’d ever had was when Eli had discovered pineapple pizza and used their weekly take out splurge money on it. Eli was no longer in charge of dinner, ever. All food choices had to be approved by Nico via text or hand written note. Besides their Monday night indulgence, they took turns cooking, which led to their brightest idea, the Popcorn and Pelmini Podcast, where they talked movies and food, reviewing movies and describing the foods they’d cater based on the movies. LA was a hungry town in many ways and movies were everywhere, so Popcorn and Pelmini took off. Takeout went from once a month to once a week.

Tonight, Eli had strict orders to stop on the way home and grab pho and spring rolls, for a light Spring dinner, so she was was enjoying the walk through their Silver Lake neighborhood, after the afternoon at her part time job writing grants. While she lived for her chances to perform as a dancer or an actor, the solid job with the local performance academy allowed her to take a break and just focus on paperwork and meeting deadlines. It was soothing.

The afternoon had been bright, but suddenly there was a change in the wind and a bank of clouds raced in, darkening the day as Eli felt the wind push against her. Suddenly, her scarf whirled away, twisting down an alley Eli wasn’t familiar with. Her scarf twisted around a bike rack in front of two tiny storefronts, one had a sign with Cyrillic letters promising Tasty Foods, the other a crystal ball that mostly looked like a disco ball, painted by someone who’d never seen either. It was somehow a charming muddle, especially as it came with a whiff of rye, garlic, horseradish and dill from next door. Eli’s mouth watered at the thought of borscht or zharkoye, but before she could step into the store, a woman came out of the crystal ball shop. Tall, voluptuous, dark hair with an intriguing purple tint -- that was the only word Eli could think of to describe the curves the flowing fabric of a floral dress hung on, with turquoise eyes that caught Eli staring.

“Oh.” The woman put her key back in her pocket, “Are you here for a reading. I was about to close up?”

Sure, Eli thought, a reading, I can read books, you’re pretty, then realized that her mouth hadn’t actually opened, which considering what her brain had fumbled to was probably a good thing. Just stop at the first word, “Sure.”

“I’m Nozomi.” Her laugh almost tinkled, the smile was a soft, warm breeze and every waft of spiced air made Eli think dinner was cooking in her grandmother’s kitchen. She wasn’t sure she hadn’t slipped into the best daydream ever.

“Cool. I’m Eli.” Eli followed Nozomi into the store. Bookshelves, filled with knick knacks, books, candles, fabrics that looked hand dyed, and boxes of Tarot cards. Ah, now the reading offer made sense.

Nozomi led the way to a small low, wooden table in the back, two pillows on the floor, Japanese style. Eli was having a day where all of her ancestors were visiting. She hoped it was a good omen.

Nozomi knelt, putting both hands on the table, “So what brings you in for a reading?”

Eli was still taking in all the small details, so she answered Nozomi while twisted around, trying to read the book titles closest to her, “The wind.” Eli turned back to the table and now, Nozomi was watching her curiously so Eli smiled, “I like your shop.”

“The wind.” Nozomi reached under the table and pulled out a deck, “This is my oldest deck, I don’t use it much, but the wind rarely blows in such a…” Nozomi paused, “distinctive face.”

Eli took the deck, unsure if Nozomi had complimented her.

“Shuffle and think about what you’d like some insight about. Do you have a question for the cards?”

“Can I have your owner’s number” was not a question the cards could answer, Eli suspected. She wondered if there was going to be a change in the ordinary, orderly progression of her days. “Just some general advice.”

Nozomi’s face gave very little away but Eli might have guessed she was puzzled. Eli shuffled the cards expertly, Nico’s insistence on a monthly poker night had sharpened her skills.

“Place the top 3 cards face down in a row.”

Eli followed instructions, putting the deck aside.

“Now turn them over.”

Eli had, of course, seen Tarot cards before, but never really paid attention to the details. The first card was a man with a staff, holding off a group. You could only see the ends of their weapons. Cute little leaves were growing out of the staves, Eli wondered if that meant anything. She glanced up at Nozomi, whose face was once again difficult to read. Nozomi tapped the middle card, “We need to see them all together.”

“Makes sense,” Eli flipped the next card, which had a red devil dog person laying across the top of a clock that made no sense, staring at her, upside down winged creatures scattered at the corners of the card. Not even looking to Nozomi, she turned over the third card, still trying to make sense of the muddle she’d uncovered in the middle. Third card was an open fellow with a flower in his hand, setting out to travel.

Eli felt a little nervous. She’d never met the cards or Nozomi before, but she suddenly felt as if she’d let a secret slip out. But she had no secrets...well, except the big one, but if that came out in a Tarot reading, Eli would think Nozomi was the FBI agent monitoring her smartphone mic. Nozomi was now touching the center card with the tips of fingers, her other tapping on the table, “Not an easy read, Eli.”

“Does that mean I’m going to fly away, carried by upside down angels?” Eli really had no frame of reference for any of this, but was driven by an urge to see if she draw another bright laugh from the woman across from her.

Nozomi snorted instead, “The card is upside down, not the creatures. They’re all out of various mythologies. There’s so many hints woven together in each card. This is the Wheel of Fortune and reversed, well,” Nozomi hesitated, then rested her hand gently on Eli’s. Eli jerked a little at the contact, but did not pull back, “you may be due for some unpleasant changes and challenges as you roll through the cycle, but the seven of wands indicates you’ve conquered difficulties before so remember your strengths.”

“That sounds sensible.” Nozomi was giving Eli advice that could cover anything, but with the connections she was making with the images on each of the cards, the reading seemed less fabricated than Eli had expected.

“Expecting me to say you’ll meet the love of your life tomorrow at 3 p.m. and she’ll have…”

Eli cut off Nozomi, “No, I’m not that silly. I know divination, whatever your mystical beliefs, is a tool to sort through the things a person may be worrying about.” Eli reran in her head Nozomi ‘s last sentence, surprised at the “she,” but maybe Eli being a complete pushover about the reading had giving Nozomi a cue about her gay weakness for curves and sensuous smiles. “Besides, I’d rather have meeting the “love of my life” be serendipitous.”

“A romantic?” Nozomi took her hand from Eli’s and shifted the last card slightly.

Eli shrugged, “Not really. I just” and Eli grinned, letting her eyes do what she hoped was twinkle in a friendly fashion, “have expert level planning and organizational skills, which are great for work, but dating, dating should be something different...surprising, startling...serendipitous.”

Nozomi laughed. “You also have a distinctive mind, Eli-chi. This last card suits you, but don’t take offense at the name. It’s The Fool. It’s the bold start of a new journey, confidently stepping out to deal with whatever comes your way.”

“I like that.” Eli leaned forward, taking another look at the card, “He’s enjoying the air.”

“Maybe it’s a nice breeze full of Russian spices.” Nozomi swept the cards back into the deck, shuffling.

Eli chuckled, “Ah, you noticed I wasn’t checking out your shop. My grandmother is Russian. I miss her kitchen.”

“Today’s special is zharkoye. You should take some home to…”

Eli shook her head, “My housemate doesn’t let me deviate from plans since the day I decided to try pineapples on pizza. She’s expecting pho.”

“She’ll be wanting zharkoye, you know she will. She won’t mind. Just give her a wink.”

“You haven’t met Nico. My charms have no effect on her.” Eli stood, “but well made zharkoye might. It is technically soup with beef, vegetables and spices, and I bet they have dumplings so dinner wouldn’t be so far off from pho and spring rolls.” Eli reached for her wallet, “How much do I owe you for the reading?”

Nozomi waved away Eli’s offer, “Consider it a trial run. Just stop by again. Wednesdays they make an excellent zelyoniye shchi and everyday there’s borscht, of course.”

“You really like your Russian foods.” Eli shoved her hands in her pocket as Nozomi stood.

“It’s a very distinctive cuisine that has attracted my attention.” Nozomi opened the door for Eli. “Stop by when you figure out what the wheel’s turned to.”

Eli almost said “looking forward to it” then remembered that Nozomi had said “unpleasant changes and challenges” so nodded her head with a “Thanks, Nozomi” as she planned a dinner menu that would make Nico not mind the change in plan.

 

Eli returned to their small bungalow with two bags of food, having been lured by childhood favorites into spending more money than budgeted. Nico would go ballistic, but then she’d taste the food and downgrade her disapproval to minor grumping.

“Hey Nico!” Eli kicked the door shut. She could see Nico moving around in the kitchen, and then caught something out of the corner of her eye. Slouched on the couch, laptop propped on one of Nico’s impossibly pink pillows was a woman, red hair contained by a gray baseball cap tilted to the side with Refuse To Conform in a circular logo, dressed in green and purple striped board shorts and a black muscle tee. She glanced up casually, gave Eli a slow once over with extremely disinterested lavender eyes and snorted.

Eli put the bags on the counter, pointing over her shoulder as Nico moved to see what Eli had been diverted by this week, “Your stray looks feral.”

Nico snort was an echo of the mystery woman’s on the couch, “You should talk. That’s Maki.”

Still no help. Eli didn’t really like random strangers staring holes through her back so she pressed for answers, “Nico.”

Nico watched as Eli unpacked things that weren’t from their usual Thai place, “What did you do, Eli?”

“First explain Maki.” Eli hoarded the foil containers, enjoying the rich scents and knocking Nico’s prying hands back.

“Fine. You remember Nico was giving an interview to the Rice and Ramen cuties?”

Another snort from the couch, a burst of typing and as Eli looked back, Maki was sliding headphones over one ear.

“Yeah.”

“Well Maki was there. Turns out she does all their awesome music.” Nico hopped up to lean over the counter and blow a kiss in the direction of the couch, “So Nico talked her into doing some pieces for ours. It’ll take us to the next level.”

“NICO!” Eli knew her next statement would sound hollow when she’d just overspent their takeout budget on a nostalgia fix, but she said it anyway. “We can’t afford that.”

“She’s not a horse or my teenage brother so we can afford to feed her a few meals.” Nico opened a container and sniffed, “What is this?”

“I got blown into a weird corner with a Russian restaurant and a Tarot reader next door. She said they had zharkoye today and I couldn’t resist.”

Nico pulled out a spoon for a tasting, “Wow. Really rich stock. Nice. Nico almost forgives you.”

Eli unwrapped the steaming package of varenyky, “First you try the cabbage and mushroom, then later, the cherry and you’ll love me.”

Nico brought a stack of plates to the counter, “Hey Maki, you care what I put on your plate?”

“No.” There was a pop as Maki achieved full headphones.

“Is she actually composing music for us?” Eli ladled soup into three bowls.

“Yeah, she’s sharp, smart and really talented. Nico’s impressed.” Nico rubbed the end of her nose, “Plus, truthfully, Nico doesn’t mind the scenery.”

“Ha!” Eli was salivating, impatient to dive into dinner, but since Nico had drifted to that conversational lane, she confessed, “I met someone impressive today too.”

“Is she a Russian cook, because color Nico surprised.” Nico’s sardonic nature was a refreshing splash of tonic water in a world full of people outsmiling each other.

“No, the Tarot reader.” Eli sat on the stool, and started with the soup, having sampled the varenky earlier, “Her name’s Nozomi. She seems about our age. Not what I expected. Practical.”

“Practical.” Nico popped a varenky in her mouth, taking a moment for a brief murmur of enjoyment. “So what kind of package is practical wrapped up in?”

“Curvy.” Eli admitted, slightly adorable when abashed, not that Nico would publicly concede that.

“See, this is why we will always be perfect roommates,” Nico picked up the tray she’d loaded with bowls, plates and silverware and headed around the end of the island, “You like curvy and Nico likes...:”

Hungry as she was, Eli couldn’t resist the cue, “I’ve always wondered what Nico likes.”

“An audience.” Nico winked. Eli half turned on the stool to watch as Nico slid into the couch next to Maki, tray on the table in front of them. Eli was surprised to catch the redhead smile shyly when Nico was too preoccupied with food placement to notice. Maybe they were getting free music after all.

 

Eli had left her futon in the couch position. Usually, she went through her ballet exercises in the morning, but she had an audition tomorrow. She never enjoyed auditions...too many nerves, too many memories. Tonight, Eli felt especially jittery, almost feverish. A long session at the barre would help exhaust her enough to sleep. She’d be losing enough sleep tomorrow night.

Eli swept her long hair up into a ponytail, met her own eyes in the mirrored wall. Fierce determination looked back, a hint of sadness in the blue. Yes, tonight’s dinner had been a warm reminder of a time in her life surrounded by love, but it was also a time in her life when she’d been through the harshest of wringers, struggling to keep up with other children, other dancers, pushing down the queasiness as she stepped out on stage in front of a judging panel, desperate not to disappoint. Reaching a hand out to the barre, Eli breathed in, centered her weight and prepared to do her first GRANDE PLIÉ.

 

Nico had been lying in bed, a little restless. Maki had fallen asleep over her laptop, after Eli disappeared into her room so Nico had covered the composer with a blanket, sipped tea until the snoring started and went into her own bedroom with the door open. Sleepwear for new, cute, nice, if mostly inarticulate potential friend crashing on the couch? Nico had decided on fun SHORT sleep shorts with cartoon bunnies and a pink camisole. Why not be prepared for late night chat and sharing about music or dreams or professional aspirations. Nico fell asleep wondering what else Maki had composed music for and if Nico had run across her work during a voice acting gig.

 “AAAAHHHHHHHH….no….get away from me!” Nico woke up, fuddled, heart racing, hair falling in her eyes. That wasn’t Eli’s voice. Nico sprang out of bed, hitting the light switch in the living room as she raced toward the scream. Maki was sitting up on the couch, staring around her, one of the glass doors next to the kitchen island open.

“Maki? Are you all right?” Nico shut the door, listening for anyone else in the house. Where was Eli? No response from Maki, so Nico moved back to the living room, sat on the table in front of where her guest was still looking panicky on the couch, hands gentle on Maki’s shoulders to command the redhead’s attention. Nico’s voice was soft. “What happened?”

Maki almost shuddered, “I...I think something sniffed me.”

“Hell…” So much for calm and softness. Nico snapped around and made for Eli’s bedroom. Sheets on the floor, no Eli, bathroom door open showing an empty room.

Nico walked slowly back to Maki, who quickly averted her eyes when she realized she’d been staring at Nico’s shorts. “Did you see her?”

“Her, who?” Maki was more and more confused.

Nico put her hands together, in prayer position, dropping her head into them and blowing out her frustration. She spoke slowly, “Was it a dog?”

Maki couldn’t read Nico’s attitude, “Maybe…”

“About this high?” Nico held a hand out, halfway between waist and breast height.

“Not sure.” Maki rubbed her cheek, “Just felt something damp and cold press against me.”

“Oh, Eli.” Nico muttered, ignoring Maki and heading back to the kitchen. The trash had been knocked over and bags from tonight’s dinner had been scattered, “What happened to you?”

Maki was standing behind Nico, suddenly close, “What happened to who?”

Nico turned, lip downturned, her face close enough that she seemed to be searching Maki’s eyes and decided to shoot off a question. “What’s your stance on cryptids?”

“Cryptids?” Maki had absolutely no idea what this conversation was about or why Nico was so intense or why she couldn’t stop staring at the tiny tiny flecks of deeper ruby flicked across Nico’s irises.

Nico stepped back, rubbing her forehead, then counting things off with her fingers, “Vampires, Big Foot, Yeti, Jersey Devil, Loch Ness Monster...werewolves…”

Maki tentatively decided to try breaking the mood, “Nessie always takes good pictures.”

Wrong move. Nico threw up her hands, stormed to the glass doors and a rant slowly gained volume and speed, “Wakes Nico up by scaring the life out of her, doesn’t bother to notice who sniffed her, then decides to be funny right when Nico has to figure out what to do…” Nico leaned forward, her hands on the doors.

Maki was having even more trouble than usual processing thoughts, due to being startled awake, events that made no sense, Nico’s rant continuing sotto voce, a craving for donuts and/or coffee, and being unable not to stare at the muscles of Nico’s legs as the hem of her shorts brushed them. “I’m…sorry.”

Nico stopped muttering and turned around, “Huh?”

Maki twirled a strand of hair, managing to almost look Nico in the eye, “I’m still a little fuzzy, maybe still partly asleep. I can help more with coffee.”

“Nico doesn’t have time for that.” Nico grabbed a bag scrap off the floor, “Dawn’s only a couple of hours away.”

“Dawn?” Maki guessed that had something to do with the cryptid comment, but it was only a guess.

“Nico has to get dressed. And play detective.” Nico dodged around Maki, heading to her room, but Maki’s hands were suddenly on her waist, spinning her.

“Explain. Please.”

Once again, Nico’s face was so close that Maki nearly stopped breathing, caught in a fierce scrutiny.

Nico gently removed Maki’s hands. “How about Nico promises to explain later after she finds her roommate?”

Maki’s turn to take a moment to consider what she could read from Nico’s face. Mostly worry, determination, some concern that seemed directed at Maki. Maki decided to trust Nico. “If you let me help.”

Nico nodded, then shoved a torn off part of bag at Maki, “Do you know where that is?”

Maki read the address, “Oh yeah, it’s pretty close to a few clubs I know. I didn’t know anything new had opened there.”

Nico tilted her head, recalibrating, “And Nico thought you spent all your nights on other people’s couches. Not out dancing.”

Maki decided not to answer as she calculated the best way to get there.

“Nico will be back in two minutes. Grab a snack out of the cabinets next to the fridge. Sorry about the coffee, we’ll stop if we find a place.” Nico paused and glanced back, “Pull some raw meat out of the fridge, there’s chicken. Storage bags to the left of the sink.”

Food would help Maki makes sense out of this morning. Being woken up by some kind of animal -- who has a ‘cryptid’ crossing in their living room -- hadn’t been pleasant, but watching Nico crisis solve in her pajamas was kinda fascinating. Maki didn’t mind following along for the ride.

 

Nico was driving, telling Maki to look out for a fluffy greyhound type of dog, nearly three feet tall, very light fur. They parked a couple blocks off the restaurant's corner. Wind was starting to whip up a bit so Maki zipped her hoodie, chasing after a Nico who was moving nearly as fast as the car had been, head snapping from side to side. Maki found herself listening, but it was still predawn enough that the birds hadn’t hit yawning yet so the air was a mix of distant cars and rustling leaves, with the faint thump of a bass line amped somewhere to the west. Maki pulled out her Tascam and hit record as she walked. It might fit nicely into a set when she wanted to slow down the mood for the night.

Nico stopped, which Maki only realized when she nearly caused Nico to fall, drawing a hiss from the shorter woman.

“Sorry.” Maki pocketed the recorder, wondering what caught Nico’s attention. A moving white animal seemed to be rustling in a pile of trash.

“How did she do that…” Nico muttered, walking quickly, but careful to stay calm, “Hey, Eli...it’s Nico. We need to get you home. It’s almost dawn.” Nico opened the bag of raw chicken. “C’mon.”

Eli. Maki just stood there, watching Nico approach the……...dog? Cryptid? Creature? Quick inventory, four legs, tail, not hunched over and tearing a spine out of someone, wait what if it started tearing the spine out of....Maki found herself slow running to catch up to “NICO!”

Nico didn’t turned but waved Maki back, which Maki ignored. They were approaching the two storefront corner now and the...creature...paused, sniffing. Then a light went on in the storefront without weird partly Greek writing and Nico and the creature turned, the creature with a single bark.

“Can I help you?” A tall woman with purple tinted hair loose around her shoulders stepped out of the door.

Maki glanced to Nico, who sighed, “Hi, new person.” Nico pointed, “Nico needs to get her into my car.”

Maki, hand on Nico’s shoulder, watched as the creature slowly, skittishly sniffed the newcomer, who knelt and smiled, hand out “That’s a popular hair color on this block, recently.”

“No it’s not.” Nico zoomed in, bag under the nose as the creature whined and stuck her snout in and started chewing. “Come on, E…” Nico coughed, “come back to the car, you. Nico needs her beauty sleep.”

Hopping backwards, Nico seemed to be successful in her attempts to lure as they were getting closer to her car. Maki jumped ahead to open the back door, which they’d left unlocked for quick grabs, then stepped to the side. Nico tossed the bag into the back seat with an urgent, “You can do it, get the treat, c’mon, do it for Nico.” The creature stared at Nico for a moment, then climbed into the seat. Nico shut the door and leaned back against the car. No way the chicken and drool stain was coming out easily, but that would be Eli’s problem, not Nico’s.

“Thanks, person Nico does not know. Sorry to disturb you this early.” She stood, “C’mon, Maki.”

Maki was pretty sure she should be offended that Nico had used that same tone of voice on the creature, but she slid into the passenger side as Nico tried to get around the new person. The creature had settled into the back seat and was licking its paws so Maki rolled down her window a bit.

Nozomi held her arms akimbo, “It’s no problem, Nico, right? I’m Nozomi. I was just up to go to the temple I volunteer at. That’s a beautiful dog.”

“Thanks.” Nico grumped, “She always attracts attention. And now I really have to get her home.”

Nozomi was confused by Nico’s brusqueness, which didn’t slow Nico down at all. She was in the car, turning the key in the ignition and giving Maki orders before Nozomi managed to say “Have a nice day.”

“Grab the blanket out of that bag at your feet and toss it over Eli, please.” Nico hit the accelerator. If it had been a manual, she might have shredded the clutch.

Maki unzipped the bag, “Okay, why? And why were you so rude?”

Nico turned from the road to grit her teeth at Maki, “Nico is always charming. But Eli is going to be a naked blonde woman in another couple of minutes and I know she’d prefer we all spare ourselves that sight.”

Maki shrunk a little, suddenly reminded this wasn’t an ordinary lost dog hunt and Nico still had a lot to explain.

Nico reached out a hand and patted Maki on the knee. “Thanks for helping out, Maki. Nico has to solo too often. It’s nice to have company.”

“Yeah,” Maki yawned as she dropped the blanket over the seat. She was ready to fall asleep again, as uncomfortable as Nico’s couch had been.

Something thumped into the back of Maki’s seat with a whimper, followed by a brief howl whine. Nico was holding her breath, hand frozen on Maki’s leg, “Eli?”

“Nico?” Rustling noises now and maybe some crying, but Maki didn’t want to turn around. She sensed that that would not be a Nico approved choice.

“It’s all right, Eli. We found you. You had a Russian food craving.”

“Why did I…” Eli’’s voice shook, fearful…”was that Nozomi?”

Nico’s hands were now both on the steering wheel, knuckle white grip, while her voice spilled comfort. “Yeah, but she just thought you were a lost dog.”

“Nico…” Another cry.

“Don’t worry about it, Eli. We’ll figure it out after we get home. Is your head hurting?”

“Yes.”

“Nico brought some aspirin, Maki’ll get it out of the bag for you, please, Maki.”

Maki nodded and Nico smiled. The pill and water bottles were easy enough to find. Maki handed them over the seat to Eli, whose eyes were red and almost as runny as her nose.

“Here you go.” Maki cleared her throat. “You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t talk to people. It’s just...well, Nico obviously needed help.” Nico snorted.

Eli nodded, her voice a tired mutter. “Thanks. Nico does a lot. She’s pretty amazing.”

Maki grunted. Nico crowed, hands loosening on the wheel, “Nico has a fan club now. Let’s hear some cheers, pretty girls.” One hand flew up to her temple, “Nico Nico Ni.”

Silence greeted that initiative but Nico couldn’t throttle back her cheeky grin. Which Maki couldn’t resist echoing. Eli just moaned, curled up in the blanket, miserable, head throbbing from trying to run wolf senses through human circuits. Nozomi had sounded so kind.

 

Maki had settled back in on the couch, Eli had gone to shower and Nico was making coffee. She wasn’t getting any more sleep and she doubted Eli would. Maki had been silent when they hit the house, yawning and stretching out under the blanket, still in her hoodie. Nico wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or worried by how noncommittal the redhead was. But that wasn’t the immediate problem. The immediate problem was that Eli only ever turned one night a month and last night wasn’t it. Or else Maki would not have been on Nico’s couch. Tonight, tonight, Eli would have been prepared. Tonight, no one would be on the couch and Eli would be sedated and sleeping it off like a bad hangover.

Eli sat down at the island, hair still wet, blue striped dress shirt still not tucked into her pencil skirt; Nico pushed a mug of half hot chocolate, half coffee her way. Eli smiled at the smell, “Thanks for the treat, Nico.”

Nico shrugged, swigging from her own mug, half coffee, half home made vanilla bean coffee creamer, “You had a rough night.” Eli nodded. “Do you know what happened?”

Eli shook her head, then opened her mouth to wave off the heat from the hastily gulped drink. Her throat was now going to hurt as much as everything else today. Cheerful. “I was restless, I didn’t actually think I’d get to sleep…”

“Nervous about the audition?” Nico asked.

Eli closed her eyes with a sigh, “Always. Then…” Eli rubbed her forehead, aggressively, Nico almost considered pulling away her hands, “there were smells and I remembered...someone friendly...and you were there...and I was hungry and wanted to go home???” Eli preferred treating being a werewolf like a sick day spent recovering from outpatient surgery: plan around it, refuse to let it disrupt anything and stay in bed to aid recovery. Very Eli. Control the problem, organize the symptoms.

“Nozomi was there.” Nico mentioned casually.

“I know.”

“Do you think it was because of her? This all started at puberty right, maybe it’s hormones?”

“Oh, and I’m suddenly going to “alpha” and start jumping on anything in heat?” Eli’s voice was scornful and she finished her drink quickly, the better to storm off.

“Eli,” Nico grabbed Eli’s hands, trapping them around her mug, “I didn’t mean that. It’s just…” Nico’s hands were warm, “people act differently when they’re attracted to someone. It’s not rational. And this close to the full moon, it might have tipped you…”

“That’s ridiculous, Nico.” Eli’s voice raised, Nico glanced to the couch. “I am in control of my emotions.” Eli shook off Nico’s hands. “I don’t know why it happened, but I will be making sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Okay, Eli.” Nico deliberately ignored all the screaming alarm flares that Eli did not actually have the situation under control, “Just tell Nico if you need any help. I’ll make sure Maki’s not around tonight.”

“Thanks Nico.” Eli stood, tucked her shirt in, ponytailed her hair, buttoned everything but the top button and became All Business Eli. Nico, a master of presentation herself, was always impressed by how Eli never cracked the polished, professional, emotionless facade. If Nico hadn’t caught Eli sobbing, drunk and vulnerable after a bad breakup, one night their freshman year, Nico might have never known the caring, emotionally clueless, mischievous, sometimes straight up silly person under all the imposed self control. Dancers always pushed their bodies, training their minds to overcome pain. Eli practiced that on her emotions as well. Nico’s job as a friend was to get Eli to ease back on herself, but it was a struggle.

“Are you going to wake her up?” Eli asked, gesturing over her shoulder at the snoring redhead.

Nico’s answer was no, she was going to sneak out quietly and leave a note for the too cute to disturb visitor, then hurry home after her meeting with her agent, but she knew Eli wouldn’t approve of that. So she hedged. “Nico will take care of it.”

“Good.”

 

It had been a quiet morning at the shrine. Nozomi was back home with a cup of tea, pondering the scene this morning. The small, dark haired woman had been behaving suspiciously with the taller redhead obviously half a step behind on whatever the plan was. They didn’t live in the neighborhood, so their dog must have wandered. Unless it was drawn by the smell of the Cafe next door. Perhaps it was one of those Russian wolfhounds, Nozomi thought, bolshoi, no borzoi. She, Nico had called her a she, had seemed quiet, shy. So not a boisterous borzoi, Nozomi giggled to herself. Perhaps it was drawn by the smell, this morning, there was strongly spiced tea in the air, probably with dense, sweet tea cakes ready to dust your fingers with sugar. Thinking of the menu next door brought back a memory of yesterday afternoon and the tall Russian food aficionado  with the twinkling blue eyes. She wondered if Eli liked sweets, maybe she should start keeping them around in case the Wheel of Fortune rolled Eli back into her shop. Ah, but Nozomi stopped herself there, it was no good wishing for tall, pretty, stacked blondes with smart cerulean eyes to return, the Universe didn’t work like that. Although, perhaps a trail of Prague cake slices would work if Eli really did have a sweet tooth.

Nozomi sighed. She obviously wasn’t getting Eli off her mind this morning. She reached for her deck, the same one she’d handed to Eli and dealt three cards. After a minute to center her feelings, she turned them over. Five of Swords. A problem card. Next. Death. Nozomi drew a breath. Change. Upheaval. She rarely drew that card for herself, settled into a routine that brought her satisfaction, if not joy. What would the Future bring. Nozomi stared at the Queen of Cups, blonde hair cascading to her shoulder as she sipped from the cup where her emotions and thoughts gathered. Nozomi tried not to see Eli there, on a throne, graceful hands bringing up the cup to her glistening mouth. Nozomi, startled by the vividness of the image, swept the three back into the deck, discomfited. What did the cards have in store?


	2. Queen of Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli's difficulties continue and we introduce some new players.

“Popcorn and Pelmini”, episode 1: Pizza

“Nicoooooo” Eli’s voice was a wail. “We can’t start with this movie.”

Nico’s voice snapped back, obviously no arguments would be accepted. “You wanted the best movie to watch with pizza. This is the best movie to watch with pizza.”

“Nico...it’s set in a sewer. The walls drip.” Eli fake gagged. “That’s not healthy. Or appetizing. And they’re TURTLES.”

“Teenage Mutant PIZZA LOVING turtles.” Someone, probably Nico, could be heard sliding a phone along a table. “Want to hear some of the topping combos they’ve tried over the years...Popcorn, hey, that’s good for us, Eli, topical, marshmallows and pepperoni, chocolate sprinkles and clam sauce…”

“No. I really don’t. Are these all in the movie?” Something thumped, possibly Eli falling into a couch.

“No. The movie pizza’s boringly normal, if you’re a teenage turtle. They’ve been around since 1984, they’ve tried everything.” Sound of a disc sliding into a probably Playstation. “Cotarou loves this movie. We’re watching it. If Nico were a reporter, she’d be exactly like April. Brave, determined, soon to be famous...”

“Speedy hot, and stylin’…” Eli and Nico finished at the same time, Eli sounding amused.

“Hi, Cotarou. Your big sister misses you and your sisters. She talks about you all the…”

“Enough of that, Eli.” Nico grumbled, sounding embarrassed. “The pizza’s getting cold.”

Eli went back to complaining, “Nico, can’t we watch Mystic Pizza or something.”

“You get to pick next week, the theme’s Big Sisters and Ice Cream. Now pass the popcorn Nico’s way, I’m starting the movie.”

Eli sounded like she bumped something. “Wait. Nico. Don’t start yet.”

“Why not?”

“Sponsor.”

“Oh thanks, Eli. Hey listeners, Nico Ni and Elichka would like to thank Gianellis’ Pizza for sponsoring our first “Pelmini and Popcorn” podcast. Nico’s pizza sauce is the best, but Gianellis is a very close second.”

“You can’t say that.” Eli groaned as table dragging noises happened.

“Yes, I can. Mama Gianelli just laughs and asks if I want to date her granddaughter, the award winning stunt performer, who worked on Wonder Woman. It’s all good.”

A long sigh, “Just start the movie, Nico.”

Nozomi chuckled as the commentary started with Eli’s explanation of how the style of the intro echoed the comic book origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Nozomi had Googled Eli when she got back from the shrine, nothing really extraordinary, a LinkedIn page, an IMDB page, and an Instagram account, all recently updated. There was this odd little entry, a podcast called “Popcorn and Pelmini” so Nozomi had subscribed and was now starting with the first episode. She’d checked out the photos of Eli and another woman lounging on a couch, arguing in a kitchen, and warring over Netflix (Nico) vs. TCM (Eli) and was surprised to realize she’d met the other woman as well. Nico, who’d retrieved her non boisterous Borzoi before dawn. Eli had mentioned a housemate, but not a dog. Occasional coincidences had made a habit of wandering into Nozomi’s life, but meeting both Nico and Eli so close together made Nozomi wonder exactly what the cards had in store for all of them.

 

“Imagine me and you, I do  
I think about you day and night  
It's only right  
To think about the girl you love  
And hold her tight  
So happy together  
If I should call you up, invest a dime  
And you say you belong to me  
And ease my mind  
Imagine how the world could be  
So very fine”

Nico’s voice boomed, close to the mic, rolling over Mikey’s, then she pulled back and turned teasing as she addressed Eli, “See, Mikey’s got the right idea. Tell the girl how you feel. WITH MUSIC. Makes an impact. Did you see that smile. Go Mikey.”

“But he doesn’t get the girl.” Eli sounded matter of fact.

“Neither does the other guy.”

“Nico...spoiler.”

“Oh yeah,” you could almost hear the eye roll, “Sorry soon to be loyal listener. The goofy adorkable teenage turtle DOES NOT get to make out with Megan Fox. In case you thought he would. And in the sequel, turns out she likes guys in street hockey gear, not shells.” Nico paused. “Hey, Eli, are they still furries if they’re hot for really tall for turtles turtles? No fur there.”

“Nico...my sister is listening to this.” Eli might have been talking through a double facepalm.

Didn’t stop Nico, who was sounding perkier and perkier after nearly 100 minutes of commentary. “Hi Alisa. Want to impress a girl? Be more like Michelangelo than Eli “I forget how to say ‘put your number in my phone” in English Ayase”

“That was once and a lot of people speak Russian.”

“In Russia.”

Maki smiled. Nico’s voice had been looping in Maki’s head since Hanayo had played this podcast for her two weeks ago, saying she was going to interview Nico and Nico “was SO cute and sweet and” then Maki’s brain had retreated from the pitch of her friend’s squeal. She’d started listening to their podcast, looking forward to whatever song Nico was going to sing along to that time. Maki hadn’t planned to be working on music for Nico, but when there’d been a pause and she could have said “want to watch a movie and get pizza,” instead she twisted her hair and let Nico fill in the dead air with questions. Which turned into “sure, I could mix you a theme song,” which turned into following Nico home. Back to work, Maki hit play and listened to what she had so far, wondering if she could slip a sample of The Turtles song into the “Popcorn and Pelmini” theme. And if Nico would notice. She made a note to get her lawyer to negotiate a flat fee for the licensing so Nico wouldn’t have to know.

Maki folded down the lid of her laptop and stood to stretch. Quick jumping jacks to get her blood moving. Nico’s place was on a calm street, occasional bustle but mostly quiet and a back patio screened by trees off the alley. She glanced at her phone. She’d have to leave to get ready for tonight’s gig, but if Nico didn’t return in time, Maki couldn’t leave the house unlocked. And she wanted to make sure Nico would show up at the club. Maki ran a hand through her hair, thinking...she could call Nico, but what if Nico said ‘No,” or didn’t answer her phone or didn’t understand...Maki hated phone calls. In person was so much better, you could read people’s reactions, the crowd mood, she’d gotten good at that, after a lot of thinking about it.

 

Eli didn’t know if there’d be space to change so she wore plain v-neck baby blue t-shirt, open navy mandarin collar jacket embroidered with trailing peonies, loose gray sweats over her white tights and blue slashed with white leotard. Bag tossed over her shoulder, she’d taken the train out to Santa Monica, picked up a bike share and was enjoying the ocean in the air. This audition was an unusual one, a choreographer who needed to prepare for a fellowship interview. Eli had no idea why it was taking place in a hotel meeting room rather than a dance studio, but she’d auditioned in stranger and skeevier spaces. The choreographer was a young woman Eli’s age, Kanan Matsuuara, who’d had some choreographing experience with a group in both high school and college, but not a traditional dance education. Eli liked that it was both paid and a solo project. She hadn’t had a serious dance job in more than a year and looked forward to the physical challenge, if the audition went well.  
Eli wasn’t paying enough attention to the path when she sensed someone ahead of her and swerved, nearly spilling off her bike, but instead, she caught herself with her right leg firm on the ground, bike spinning slightly underneath her but easily controlled. She raised her head, surprised to see a pair of cheery turquoise eyes she recognized immediately, “Nozomi?”

“What are you picking up out here? Seafood?.” Nozomi giggled as a surprised Eli fumbled with her bike.

Nozomi was wearing a long purple sweater over a simple green and blue polka dot dress. She looked ready for summer on the beach, once the sweater was removed, Eli thought, then realized Nozomi had asked her a question, “Dance audition.”

“You’re a dancer?” Nozomi reached to help Eli right the bike since Eli seemed to be frozen in place.

“Oh yeah, most of the gigs I get are acting, but I minored in dance at Northwestern. My grandmother was a member of Mariinsky Ballet, when it was the Kirov.” Eli shrugged, “My mom is a teacher. I was in ballet classes before I could walk.”

Nozomi gave Eli a discreet once over, realizing that this more casual look definitely added to the charms of the blonde.

Eli jumped, lost in thoughts of her own, “Anyway, I have to go. Don’t want to be late.” Eli smiled, “Maybe I’ll nearly run into you again sometime?”

Nozomi nodded, holding her canvas bag against her chest, “I came out here to do a reading for a client. I have clients all over the city, so we just might.” Nozomi winked, “People like to know their luck.”

“Well, if I don’t actually run anyone over, I’ll count today as lucky, seeing you again.” Eli adjusted her ponytail, preparing to ride off.

“Stop by the store soon, Eli. And good luck with your audition.”

“Will do.” Eli saluted and began pedaling, Nozomi watching her ride toward the beach.

 

“I don’t know why you’re making me do this, Mari.” Kanan always tried not to shout while at the hotel, but since when she was at the hotel, she was talking to Mari, she nearly always ended up “conversing” at that volume.

“Bella, I love you, but you can’t just sit around with a broken arm feeling sorry for yourself.” Mari pushed her desk chair back, zooming to the window and popping it open, “Smell that. You can still have the sea here, the meeting room looks right out on it and you can work on something you love.”

Violet eyes flash with indignation, “You can’t make me do this.”

Mari bounced out of chair, natural linen shirt flowing over her yellow tank top, index finger tapping a rhythm on Kanan’s sternum, “You lost the bet.”

“I BET” Kanan’s teeth ground out the emphasis, “you rigged it.”

Mari shrugged, “You have dancers who want to audition, a fellowship opportunity that would be perfect.” Mari picked up a battered brown book laying on her desk and tossed it at Kanan, “ and a brilliant idea.”

“Where did you find that, Mari?” Kanan’s voice hit its shrillest note.

“I have ways, my beloved. Now, Basta! I have a meeting to prepare for and you have a dancer to inspire.”

Kanan was about to unleash another wave of bluster when Mari grabbed her around the waist and kissed her until Kanan slumped, “Mari.”

“Ganbare. You’ll be fine. The chef’s making your favorite for dinner.”

Kanan shook her head at her wife, Mari, gleaming and full of adventurous mischief, as always. Mari had the biggest heart of anyone she knew. And she refused to let Kanan give up on her performance dreams, even while Kanan claimed to be happy giving tours and diving lessons. Kanan couldn’t say that Mari was wrong. She had been at a loss when Aqours broke up, but Kanan feared how she would fare without her friends’s support.

 

Eli was sitting at a table with 5 other dancers, filling out paperwork, when a pale woman with long blue black hair, kind violet eyes and a shy smile walked into the room. Her left arm was in a cast. She closed the door behind her, nodded at the women writing at the table, walked to one of the huge windows, slid it open, and inhaled, eyes closed. Then she spun, gracefully.

“Hi! Thanks for coming. I’m Kanan Matsuaara and I lost a bet with my wife.”

Eli couldn’t help a nervous giggle and the dancer sitting next to her shifted uncomfortably.

Kanan continued, her voice gaining confidence as she explained what she had planned, “You don’t have to write an essay on the “what does transformation mean to you” question, I’m not much of a reader.” Kanan put her hands on her hips, “You could even put down a song that question reminds you of.” A shrug, “Take 5 more minutes to finish up, we’ll do a group warmup, and then I’ll show you a few moves and we’ll see how quickly you can pick them up. Any questions?”

A woman with pink tinted blonde hair raised her hand, and when Kanan acknowledged her, spoke quickly, “What’s the rehearsal schedule like?”

“We’ve got a month so I’d like to get together at least three times a week, plus the initial 12 hours over next weekend to really get the choreography locked in.”

A few other questions about money and the fellowship and Kanan’s experience in the industry that Eli didn’t really pay attention to. She was frowning over the question, pen making circles, which looked messy and made her frown, but when Kanan said, “Okay, I’m going to grab the paperwork now, just write down the first thing in your head if you haven’t yet. Don’t worry” a startled Eli felt like Kanan was speaking directly to her and scribbled “Lost can never remember” which sounded like a snatch of a poem but Eli pushed the paper away as if it were accusing her of something and Kanan picked it up immediately, read over it, and paused for a moment, her eyes searching Eli’s. Eli felt herself stiffen but there was nothing accusatory or aggressive in Kanan’s outreach. Then Kanan tossed the papers onto the table with the speaker and said, “Hello Eli, Kaylin, Monique, Dawa, Luz and Motoko. Let’s get started.’

The warmups had been fun. Kanan liked to laugh and was very easy going, but also very stern about proper positioning, correcting a few of the dancers. Eli’s ballet training had saved her from obvious mistakes.

The series of moves Kanan had put together for them to learn were low, swooping, the opening and closing using gestures that were so Japanese, Eli’s hands felt as if a fan were missing. And then came the individual dancer’s solo piece. Eli had put together a series of bounding leaps and pirouettes to Dimitri Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2. She added some sweeping leg improvisations at the beginning to demonstrate that she was comfortable with the low moves Kanan had incorporated in the group piece.

 

Nico hummed as she let herself into the house, nothing much to do for a couple of days and, she hoped, a cute redhead to maybe make dinner for. “Maki? I’m home.”

“Hi, Nico.” Nico recognized the voice that squeaked at her, but it wasn’t Maki’s. Hanayo Koizumi, the rice half of Rice and Ramen, was sitting at her kitchen island, sipping something from a mug.

“Hanayo! Where’s Maki?” Nico dumped her shopping tote on the counter.

“She had a job tonight so she asked me to watch your house until you got back. And…” Hanayo reached slid a glossy ticket toward Nico, “She wanted to invite you to come see her at work DJing. Your name’s on the guest list.”

Nico read the ticket, big charity fundraiser at a really chic boutique hotel, hosted by DJ Diamond Princess. She glared at Hanayo, “Maki, the Maki who followed me home last night like a stray cat looking for…” Nico shook her head to clear the too too many terrible puns, eyebrow raised skeptically, “that Maki is Diamond Princess, the hottest queer DJ in LA, Diamond Princess, DJ to the Stars?”

Hanayo grinned, “Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Nico went into the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of orange iced tea she’d made yesterday.

“Maki only takes a couple of jobs a month, if that. She prefers composing and scoring…” Hanayo sipped again. “She was really sorry she had to leave, but the set up takes Rin and her a couple hours and she had to go home to change and get her gear.”

Nico poured herself a drink. “That Nico has to see.”

Hanayo stood, “You can tonight. Just mention you’re her guest at the door.”

Nico could leave a note for Eli...Eli, Nico glanced at the calendar on the refrigerator with the big red X over today. Nico shook her head, “Nico can’t.”

“Oh.” Hanayo sounded sad.

Nico crossed her arms, “It’s not that Nico doesn’t want to...Nico just has a once a month roommate thing.”

“I’m sorry.” Hanayo felt increasingly awkward. Bad enough Maki had left her to ask Nico, now Hanayo would have to deal with Maki’s disgruntlement when she dropped off Rin afterwards.

“I’ll text her. Don’t worry. She’ll understand it’s not your fault.” Nico relaxed, trying to ease Hanayo’s obvious worry. “When’s the podcast posting?”

“Next Wednesday. Maki’s got a few more music cues to finish.”

“Nico looks forward to it. And I’m going to get Eli to agree to have you two over to watch Kamome Diner for a podcast soon.”

“Ooh, that’ll be nice. We’ll have to decide on fillings for the onigiri.”

“Not that into pickled herring and reindeer meat?” Nico asked over her shoulder as she put away the tea.

Hanayo seemed thoughtful, then giggled, “As long as there’s rice…”

 

Kanan was sitting on the tallest rock left on the beach at Point Dume, tide splashing closer, watching the sun go down, feeling the sea spray against her face. She barked at a sea lion about to dive back into the Pacific, envious. She stood, stretching, broken arm still awkward and painful. Gravity had done her a disservice, bringing those air tanks down on her when the boat shifted. It had been a month since she’d been able to wrap herself in her true skin and dive into the waves, feeling the freedom of the quiet, shimmering blues, the ability to spin and swim anywhere, nothing between her and her true home.

“Kanan!” Mari’s voice broke into her memories, concerned.

“Mari.” Kanan turned with a smile, and jumped down to where Mari was standing barefoot, khakis rolled up, shin deep until the surge splashed around her thighs.

Mari laughed and shivered, “BRRRRR, Cara Mia. It’s too cold for this.”

Kanan hugged Mari, pulling her up the beach, “We can warm up later.”

“When your cast comes off next month and you can swim again, we are going somewhere HOT.”

Kanan rested her head on Mari’s shoulder, “I can’t wait.”

“I know.” Mari gazed out at the ocean, affection in her citrine eyes shadowed by worry. “Just come back to me.”

“Always.” Kanan turned Mari, the blonde’s hands clasped in hers, “Always.” The kiss was tender, a promise, a reminder of their first, on the beach, outside the O’Hara’s Japanese resort hotel.

“How did your auditions go?” Mari asked as they walked back to her car, hand in hand.

“Better than I expected. Two of them had some experience with Japanese dance, which is a plus, because I won’t be able to teach the fan moves as well as I’d like.”

“Sounds perfect.” Mari shivered, then announced “Dai! We are going home, getting under a blanket and ordering something spicy.”

“All right.” Kanan laughed, an echo cresting over the crash of waves.

Maki adjusted her hat, slid the sunglasses down her nose at the precisely artful angle, double checked all the cables Rin had hooked in and glanced at her phone. Text. From Nico.

N: Hey, Princess?!??!??!?!! Nico has to keep an eye on Eli tonight, but thanks for the invite. I’d love to see you in action sometime ◙▒◙♫♩♬

Maki frowned. She’d been looking forward to Nico being so impressed she’d agree to grab a late dinner after, somewhere quieter. So they could talk. Did people always spend so much time with their housemates?

“Hey, Maki, think things’ll be crazy with the full moon tonight.” Rin asked as she closed up the cases and positioned the last light stand.

Maki froze. Full moon. The Cryptid thing. Werewolf. That was why Nico was babysitting Eli.

“Maki?” Rin whomped Maki with her Diamond Princess snapback, ginger hair matted with sweat.

Maki grabbed the hat and slammed it back on Rin’s head, pulling the brim down over her eyes, “Leave me alone…”

“Nico said “No” huh?” Rin adjusted her cap.

Maki pushed Rin, accusing. “Did you read my text?”

Rin shook her head, typical Maki. Great friend, but never very smooth or nice with the wordage. Rin tapped her smartwatch, and pointed at Maki with a smirk, “Kayo-chin texted me. My girlfriend. Who you used to ask out your not exactly friend who’s a girl.”

Maki shifted her laptop, leaving more room on the granite slabs for the mixer, her two custom built decks and the turntable. “I’ll pay you double to go home.”

“Then who’ll make sure the light show happens?” Rin stuck out her tongue.

“Tracks’ll be so steamy no one will look up to notice.” Maki’s grin flashed feral as she visualized a room of people, swaying to the beat, lost in the dark, music moving them closer…

 

Nico was treading very carefully around Eli. Dinner had been very subdued. Eli’s audition had gone well, she said, but when Nico offered her a plate of stirfry, Eli had barely eaten, listless, forehead furrowed, mouth turned down into a grimace. Nico had given up on conversation and was now just watching Eli get tenser and tenser. Eli usually went hyper efficient during a full moon, early dinner, ingest the sedative exactly a half hour before moonrise, but tonight, Eli seemed distracted, rubbing her temples, not paying attention to the time.

“Eli?” Nico asked, softly.

“What?” A snap, blue eyes almost watery.

“Isn’t it time for your pill?” Nico handed Eli a glass of water.

“Oh, thanks, Nico.” The weakest and most perfunctory of smiles as Eli took the water and opened the cabinet that held vitamins and medicines. “I’ll be glad to sleep through this headache.”

“Did you get too much sun on the bike?” Nico wondered. Eli had seemed a little flushed since she got home.

“No, used sunscreen.” Eli swallowed. “Headache behind my eyes. Yesterday’s catching up with me.”

“Get some rest.” Nico placed Eli’s empty glass in the dishwasher. “I’ve got some scripts to go over.”

“Thanks, Nico.”

Nico shrugged as she settled herself on the couch, “Nico is the number one friend in the universe.”

Eli nodded, comforted by Nico’s brash charm. While Nico liked to downplay her concern, Eli was always very grateful to have found such a steady friend. LA would have been a much riskier choice without Nico’s company and support.

 

Maybe the first few times Eli had changed, it had felt like this...like something was missing, something was racing in her blood, her head throbbing, pressure behind her eyes deforming her vision, the world around her swirling in brightly colored bands, noises miles away suddenly blaring, then fading....falling, there was always the falling, as if the moon were below, not hundreds of thousands of miles away...and the pain, and the terrifying feeling that there was something that would...if Eli would just...and then whatever was clawing holes inside her would burst out…

Nico jumped, her script falling to the floor. Howling, loud enough to be heard over the sound muffling, thud thUD THUDS against the door, Eli sounded like she was tearing herself in half. She should have been soundly asleep by now, maybe some minor sleep noises but this, this savage tear in their civilized lives had Nico shivering, afraid of what would happen if Eli broke out. The windows were solid; they’d reinforced them and the door, but...Nico stood and tried pushing the couch...nope, no way she could move that by herself. Shoving a desk chair under the handle of the door was probably her best bet to contain Eli. Maybe enough of the sedative lingered in her system to ease Eli back to sleep once she exhausted herself, slamming against walls and doors. Nico glanced at her phone. She’d shut it off completely when Eli went to bed, in werewolf form, Eli’s hearing was sensitive enough to pick up when it vibrated. And it really bugged her, like a mosquito that wouldn’t go away, more than car horns or anything else. There’d been one night when Eli had tried to crunch Nico’s phone in half when it woke her up so since then, Nico erred on the side of silence, taking a night off from electronics.

Tonight, that was fine. Since Nico couldn’t be out, she’d planned to spend the time productively getting the script down for her next voiceover job. But instead, here they were at 3 a.m., Nico frantically calculating the hours ‘til sunrise and debating if trying to shove some raw meat in Eli’s face would calm her down.

Then came the knock on the door and another round of snapping and howling, sounding more angry than pained. Nico pulled back the curtain, on the other side of the glass was Maki, tall, much more glam than yesterday and about to pound even harder on the door. Nico raised her hand to her lips in a silencing gesture and opened the door. Maki pulled Nico outside, “Are you all right, Nico? What the hell is going on? You didn’t answer my texts.” Maki paused to listen to Eli snarling at the window, “She wasn’t like this last night.”

Nico shivered in her camisole and shorts, “Nico is freezing. Can we go inside?”

Maki glanced dubiously at the window, unzipped her gray hoodie and wrapped it around Nico.

So warm, Nico thought, and soft enough to be cashmere, “Is this cashmere? Nico likes.”

Maki looked puzzled, “Might be angora; don’t know. Doesn’t matter. What about your ‘housemate?’” Maki flung out a toned arm, pointing toward the ruckus, “Somebody’s going to call the cops.”

Maki was wearing tight black jeans, black boots, a sleeveless lilac linen button down shirt with a shimmery silver silk tie embroidered with the letters DP and a black beanie sparkling with crystals and the words “Ordinary Is Dead” embroidered across the brim. Nico got distracted for a moment, then a pair of amethyst eyes lasered into her vision, demanding answers. “Nico.”

Nico sighed and opened the door, “Come inside. I was considering feeding her to see if it would calm her down…” Nico hesitated, worried that if she told Maki she was afraid the concerned redhead would just pick her up and drag her out of there, “but with just me, I didn’t want to crack the door. She’s pretty strong.”

“Sensible.” Maki nodded, “Better not to take risks. But I’m here now.”

Nico held back a smile at Maki’s announcement, delivered in such serious tones, as if the arrival of Maki would turn the tide against the forces of chaos at work in the darkness. Nico had been doing dubbing gigs for a bunch of action anime. Cocoa and Cotarou were thrilled, but it was having a mutating effect on her working vocabulary.

She grabbed a couple of pounds of chuck roast from the refrigerator. Eli would have to chew. Maki followed her to the door. Nico stopped, turned, “Maybe if you go outside and knock on the window, that’ll distract her enough that I can toss this in.”

Maki frowned, fidgeting with her hat, reaching a hand out, “I’ll do this. I’m stronger.”

Nico snorted, “Nico will beat you in arm wrestling later. Eli knows me, if she gets out, she’s less likely to attack Nico. Let’s not scar your pretty brave face.”

Maki blushed and nodded, silenced by Nico’s bemused tone.

“You know which window it is?”

Maki rolled her eyes, “It’s the one that sounds like it’s going to bite me, right?”

Nico pushed Maki with the hand not holding the roast and the redhead flashed her a quick smile before putting her determined face back on and sprinting out the back door.

“This is too exciting, Eli. Please calm down.” Nico muttered.

 

Eli woke up, head pounding, everything quiet. Dawn. She was naked, in the middle of a destroyed room. The bookshelves had been knocked over, books and pictures scattered, shards of glass lying everywhere. She glanced down at herself, some blood, but not hers. A sniff. Beef. Nico must have fed her. Was Nico all right. Eli wrapped a robe around herself and crept out into the living area. Nico and Maki were both on the couch, Nico curled up on one end, under the afghan, Maki sprawled across most of the rest, snoring, her red hair scattered across the afghan. Eli felt relieved. At least she hadn’t hurt Nico, but what had she done? And why.

Eli sat at the counter, watching her best friend move slightly in her sleep. She didn’t want to be here when Nico woke up, curious and worried. She didn’t want to sit and tell not so funny stories about other nights to Maki, who she didn’t know at all and yet was suddenly enough of a Nico confidante to be here on a full moon night. All of this prickled at Eli, made her want to just step away and forget this history, be in a simpler place, with her grandmother’s kitchen full of comforting smells, mixing berries for breakfast blinis, tasting a tiny bit of sour cream to see how tangy it was today. Today, Eli wanted to be just Eli, walking out in the universe, waiting to hear on a dance opportunity, meeting people who wouldn’t look at her with a mix of pity and concern, who would only see the tall, the strong, the sensible. Just a quick shower and then sneak out before Nico could wake up and unleash her sisterly superpowers, breaking down Eli’s defensive walls.

Back to this corner. Eli would like to claim that the wind blew her here again, but it was a combination, the lure of a taste of remembered love, the promise of kindness in clear, turqouise eyes. Eli would just count on her luck that Nozomi might be up this early. Maybe there’d be a new start in those cards of Nozomi’s.

The lights were on in Nozomi’s store, the restaurant still being closed this early. Eli saw someone moving around and knocked quietly. The door opened, Nozomi smiling, wearing a purple maxi dress patterned with white stars “Good morning, Eli. You’re up early.”

“No earlier than you.”

“Come in, it’s chilly out there.” Nozomi opened the door wider, Eli unzipped her windbreaker and stepped in. “I head to the shrine most mornings, but today I have an early client.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I can go.” Eli hesitated halfway through taking off her jacket.

“No, they’re not due for an hour or so. I’m glad to see you, Eli. Want some tea?” Nozomi took Eli’s coat to hang it up and wrapped a lacy shawl around her own shoulders, as if Eli had brought a chill wind in with her. “I was thinking about getting desserts from the Cafe yesterday, but I baked scones instead.”

“Sounds tasty.” If Nozomi was getting colder, Eli, in a turtleneck and jeans, was getting warmer.

“Sit down, I’ll just finish the tea.” Nozomi stepped into the back room.

“Do you live here as well?” Eli wondered.

“Upstairs. My parents own the building. They travel a lot so they wanted me to have a place I could be secure.”

“Are you from Los Angeles then?” Eli wondered as Nozomi returned with a tray.

Nozomi shook her head, “I’m not really from anywhere. My parents travel for work; we’ve been everywhere. I was born in Japan.”

“Sounds exciting.” Eli picked up a scone, biting off an edge, not noticing Nozomi’s quick frown. Eli hadn’t stopped to eat in her rush to get out before Nico woke up and brought the reality Eli was escaping from with her.

“So who are you running from? Bad date?” Nozomi teased as she poured the tea.

Eli thought for a second, “Housemate with a new friend.”

“Ah, noisy?” Nozomi giggled and winked.

Eli knew Nico hadn’t been the noisy one last night, but last night’s Eli wasn’t today’s Eli. Today’s Eli was...she searched for the right word, the goal she wanted...determined.

“Not really.” Blame last night’s Eli, she could do that, “We just haven’t been getting along. I’ve been growling at her.”

“Ah, you want some independence.” Nozomi handed Eli a mug as Eli finished the scone and picked up another.

“Yes.” Eli spluttered crumbs, “Independence. That’s what I want.”

Nozomi reached under the table, “Want to see what the cards say, Eli?”

Eli nodded, nervous as she chewed, remembering last time’s “unpleasant changes and challenges.” Too accurate.

Nozomi waited until Eli was finished her scone and handed over the deck, wondering at Eli’s intensity. Eli shuffled, “Three cards again?”

“If that’s what you want, Eli. Just think about your question.”

Nozomi sipped tea as Eli shuffled, sore hands fumbling a few times, and dealt out the cards. Eli took a deep breath and turned over the first. A blindfolded figure holding two swords crossed over their chest. Next was a figure standing in the midst of three staffs, holding one. Last was a crowned woman drinking from a cup held in both hands. Eli thought Nozomi might have gasped at that.

“What is it? Does she mean something.” Eli looked up, blue eyes guileless.

Nozomi bit her lip. The Queen of Cups was a card she always associated with herself, most Tarot readers would say the Queen indicated a strong, caring female presence, perhaps psychic. But that would too much to self insert, especially with a client, for surely Eli had come for a reading, she found as intriguing as Eli.

“This” Nozomi pushed forward the two, “may indicate you are indecisive about something, with the reversed three of rods reflecting a setback, or an obstacle in your path, you being stuck. The Queen…” Nozomi paused, being careful to word things precisely, “is a chance to embrace your intuition and have faith that things will turn out all right.”

Eli pulled the Queen toward her, picked it up, tapped it on the table and rewarded Nozomi with a dazzling smile, “So coming here was a good step.”

Nozomi laughed, “I won’t say no.”

Eli breathed in, deeply, a few times, her shoulders dropping into a more relaxed state with each exhale. Her blue eyes never left Nozomi’s, a question lurking behind the eager gleam, “Time for a new start” she said, decisively.

Nozomi wondered if the housemate was suddenly going to get an eviction notice.

“Do you have plan?”

Eli shrugged, “I always have a plan. This time” and Eli flipped the Queen again, “I’m going to try serendipity.”

Nozomi rearranged the cards when Eli seemed done with them, the blonde having another scone and finishing her tea.

“What’s the going rate for inspiration, Nozomi?” Eli asked, although the question seemed strange in this warm and welcoming room. But it was Nozomi’s business after all. Eli had no intention of taking advantage of any charms she might have.

Nozomi tapped her fingers on the table, considering. She felt invested in Eli’s journey somehow, as if the blue eyed, square shooter, who could have been the sheriff riding in to her saloon if this were a Western, had dealt her into this hand exactly like she’d dealt the Queen out of the deck.

“Friendship.” Nozomi decided suddenly.

Friendship...that was a distance Eli could feel safe at, right now, while the Wheel turned her over for its time and the three rods fell across her path. Nozomi might help her decide which sword to use to cut herself free.

“I can do that.” Eli held out her hand, Nozomi taking it as Eli felt a pleasant tingle dance across her palm.

“Good.” Nozomi held Eli’s hand, memorizing the feel. The grip was solid, a strange thing in Nozomi’s too easily reshuffled world. “Friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am planning to continue in this AU, but erratically as I want to finish Casual Lunacy. I am really enjoying creating this AU though so thanks @nico-nasty for the spark. I haven't had enough of a chance to play with the Love Live Sunshine characters and I'm fascinated by Kanan's infrequently glimpsed artistic impulses. There is at least one other Sunshine couple I'm planning on for this.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Keep the howl going ; )

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This was a gift for @nico-nasty on Tumblr. The prompt was Eli, Kanan, Nico, Maki and "your favorite AU." Which I was forced to admit was werewolf so here we are, an Eli-centric Bibi werewolf AU. The plot got more complicated than I expected (color no one who follows my stories surprised) so this is the first half. I'll be working on the second half in the beginning of March. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also: there's a playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLko9fiFcKQ05lK_hHMrTy790lh4LIwDLp


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